Queens councilors who voted in favor of an unpopular $15 “congestion” toll for service to parts of Manhattan said the MTA would not be able to increase express bus service to neighboring boroughs before the new fee was imposed. Requests for increased services.
But opponents of imposing new tolls in Midtown south of 60th Street say they are panicking because Queens lawmakers are facing anger from constituents over congestion pricing laws. I scoffed.
A call from 10 Queens senators and representatives to expand express bus service to Manhattan excludes the borough from similar mass transit expansions announced for Brooklyn and Staten Island bus routes. It was issued in response to this.
What you need to know about congestion charges
- These rates apply during peak hours: 5 AM to 9 PM on weekdays and 9 AM to 9 PM on weekends. At other times, rates drop to $2.75 for cars, $6 for light trucks, $9 for large trucks, and $1.75 for motorcycles. Other charges remain unchanged.
- Emergency vehicles, school buses, special government vehicles, and vehicles carrying people with disabilities are exempt.
- Drivers who use the toll tunnel to enter Manhattan will receive a $5 discount.
Ten members of Congress sent a letter to Jano Lieber, chairman and CEO of the Metropolitan Transportation Authority, on Wednesday, saying, “When congestion pricing is applied, more public transit riders will be encouraged to use public transportation.” “Expand express bus service in Queens to attract more people.”
The signatories, including John Lew, Leroy Comrie, Toby Ann Stavisky, Michael Gianaris, and state Sen. Julia, said, “Express buses play an important role in Queens’ public transportation system and will remain in place for the foreseeable future. It will play an even more important role in the distant future.” Salazar and James Sanders.
The Midtown toll is sponsored by Gov. Kathy Hochul and is scheduled to go into effect June 30 after her predecessor, Gov. Andrew Cuomo, approved congestion pricing legislation.
Many neighborhoods in southeast and northeast Queens are not near subways and rely on express bus service to commute to Midtown. The express bus fare is $7.
The MTA recently leveraged state funding to offer a 10% discount to Long Island Rail Road users who are city residents on six express bus routes from Brooklyn and Staten Island to a “decongestion zone” in Midtown. announced that it will increase its services.
“It is unacceptable that Queens, one of the city’s largest transportation deserts, was left out of bus rapid transit improvements,” said Councilors Ed Brownstein, Nilee Rozich, Alicia Hyndman and Jessica Gonzalez-Rojas. the authors of the included letter said.
Gonzalez-Rojas was the only signer who did not vote for congestion pricing, as he was not in Congress at the time.
“The success of congestion pricing depends on the expansion of other forms of mass transit, particularly the Queens express bus network,” they said.
Here’s everything we know about New York City’s congestion pricing plan
The Metropolitan Transportation Authority’s new fare plan that will charge drivers a minimum of $15 to enter Midtown Manhattan is set to begin in June, according to reports.
The MTA says the surcharges are aimed at reducing and easing congestion on Manhattan’s peak days. The controversial plan would raise about $1 billion a year to fund major upgrades to subways, commuter rail and bus systems.
How much will the driver be charged?
- Passenger driver: $15
- Motorcycle: $7.50
- Taxi driver: $1.25 per ride
- Light truck: $25
- Large truck: $35
- Uber, Lyft, and other rideshares: $2.50 per ride
Major highways such as FDR Drive and West Side Highway are exempt from tolls, but drivers will be charged if they venture onto New York City’s central business district streets below 60th Street.
According to reports, rush hour charges will apply from 5am and 9pm on weekdays. Off-peak rates will be approximately $3.75 per vehicle. Full price applies on weekends from 9am to 9pm.
“While the 10% monthly LIRR discount is welcome, it is not enough to compensate for the lack of express bus service, as many voters must pay two to three fares to access decongestion zones. , access to subway and rail services is already restricted across Queens.”
Rep. Nicole Malliotakis (R-Staten Island/Brooklyn), who was a state lawmaker when congestion pricing was approved in Albany, said Democratic lawmakers are feeling the heat.
“I’m sure they’re hearing a lot from voters,” Mariotaki said.
“Why didn’t they think about that before they voted for this cash grab and ceded the power to the MTA to set fees and decide which exemptions and projects it would supposedly fund? These Democrats It was foolish of the United States to vote in favor of the bill without providing any details.
“Everyone I talk to is against congestion pricing,” said Iatin Chu, a Republican candidate challenging Democratic incumbent Stavisky in the 11th Congressional District, which stretches from southeast to northeast Queens. Ta.
“They’re trying to ease the burden of congestion charges. But they’re the ones who voted for it.”
Kathryn Freed, a former judge and Democratic lawmaker who lives on the Lower East Side and is a plaintiff in a lawsuit aimed at blocking congestion pricing, said Queens lawmakers were left at their mercy.
“They just figured it out, didn’t they?” Freed said. “All of our legislators flipped out. I can’t understand what our state legislators were thinking.”
Oral arguments in the lawsuit aimed at blocking congestion pricing will be heard Friday before Judge Louis Lehman in federal court in Manhattan. Plaintiffs include the American Federation of Teachers, Staten Island Borough President Vito Fosella, elected officials, civic leaders and small business advocates.
